24 Dec 2007(Mon)

December 21, 2007: Official or not, nobody can take away the achievement of Zico and the brilliant Flamengo team that crushed Liverpool 3-0 in the 1981 Toyota Cup. Not even FIFA.

However, that is what the world governing body is trying to do by refusing to officially recognise all previous winners of the forerunners to their own FIFA Club World Cup.

Zico is not happy about the decision, saying that “people sitting in an office” are taking away the history of the game from the players, fans and media; although I am sure Liverpool will be happy to find out that the match never took place officially as far as FIFA is concerned.

I remember very clearly watching the match at home in England. Although Zico did not score, he was named Man of the Match as Flamengo inflicted a rare, heavy beating on a powerful Liverpool team.

I even remember a surly post-match interview with the Liverpool and England central defender, Phil Thompson, who refused to give any credit to the Brazilians. Liverpool had not been outplayed at all, he insisted.

It also stirred an interest in Japan, as I remember the incessant drone of the supporters’ horns, the winter sunshine of Tokyo and the big crowd packing the National Stadium. It was a great and exotic spectacle from so far away.

However, during the recent Club World Cup in Japan, FIFA said they would recognise only the four events organised by themselves, and that the other editions, played over two legs and then just as one game for the Toyota Cup, were not official competitions.

So be it, but the memories cannot be removed, and Flamengo will surely still count the 1981 Toyota Cup among their official achievements, with or without FIFA backing.

The match also gave a taste of things to come at the 1982 World Cup in Spain, where Zico was among the legendary four golden men in Brazil’s midfield, with Falcao, Socrates and Toninho Cerezo.

I have to say a great midfield, but not a great team, as they could not defend when they really needed to against Italy (losing 3-2 to a Rossi hat trick) and had a bungling centre forward in Serginho. I once interviewed Toninho Cerezo about this during his time at Kashima, and he shook his head and conceded Brazil 1982 could not be considered a great team. After all, they did not even reach the semi-finals.

Zico, though, should not be too concerned about the FIFA ruling, because anyone who values tradition and history knows only too well the impact and significance of that Flamengo-Liverpool match in 1981.

ends